The role of complement during the invasion of red blood cells by Plasmodiummerozoites is an enticingfield of study that has great potential to impact not just our overall understanding of how the parasite interacts with the human host but also guide future efforts in the development of efficacious malarial vaccines. The complexity of parasite and host interactions during the invasion of red blo...

Antivenom neutralization against cobra venoms is generally low in potency, presumably due to poor toxin-specific immunoreactivity. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of two elapid antivenoms to neutralize the principal toxins purified from the venoms of the Thai monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia, Nk-T) and the Malaysian beaked sea snake (Hydrophis schistosus, Hs-M). In mice, N. kaout...

paratively simple matter.* Unfortunately, it is only rarely that the body of the snake is produced for inspection. Accordingly, the medical man has to diagnose the case on signs and symptoms alone. A history of snake bite is available. Krait and cobra bites are fairly easy to diagnose?though difficult to distinguish between. There is at first pain at the site of the wound which later gives plac...

The course of infection with an attenuated strain of fowlpox virus (FPV), which is known to induce antibody-independent activation of complement via the alternative pathway, was investigated in 1- to 3-day-old chickens and 14-day-old chicken embryos by treatment with cobra venom factor (CVF). CVF was found to inhibit complement activity transiently via the alternative pathway but not via the cl...

A combination of narrow range isoelectric focusing, electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel, and gel exclusion on Sephadex reveals the presence of at least 9, possibly 11 isoenzymes of phospholipase A in Naja naja (cobra) venom. Their isoelectric points range from pH 4.60 to 5.66 and their molecular weights from 8,500 to 20,200. The most abundant form (isoelectric point = pH 4.95) has been isolat...

Immune protection by the complement system critically depends on assembly of C3 convertases on the surface of pathogens and altered host cells. These short-lived protease complexes are formed through pro-convertases, which for the alternative pathway consist of the complement component C3b and the pro-enzyme factor B (FB). Here, we present the crystal structure at 2.2-A resolution, small-angle ...

A new record of the genus Naja Laurenti, 1768 is described from latest Miocene Solnechnodolsk locality in Russia. It assigned to N. romani (Hoffstetter, 1939), largest European cobra, which disappeared Europe before end Miocene. The first evidence survival cobras Eastern Europe, points existence a Caucasian refugium during late large size vertebra cobra indicates that it belonged one specimens ...

1. The unsaturated lipoids (serum antitrypsin) can be adsorbed from guinea pig serum, rabbit serum, and horse serum by kaolin, starch, agar, and bacteria. 2. Diphtheria toxin and cobra venom also reduce the serum antitrypsin, possibly because of their affinity for lipoids. 3. Anaphylatoxins represent sera rendered toxic by partial removal of serum antitrypsin. 4. The matrix of the protein split...

Complement factor B (fB) circulates in plasma as a proenzyme that, upon binding to C3b in the presence of Mg(2+), is cleaved by factor D to produce Ba and Bb fragments. Activated Bb remains bound to C3b organizing the alternative pathway C3 convertase (C3bBb). Recently, we have visualized the stable C3bB(Ni(2+)) proconvertase using electron microscopy, revealing a large conformational change of...